I opened the rear door for her. "They sure are."
"I had fun today." But when she settled in her seat, she looked sad. Was it because we were leaving or that she felt guilty about something?
"You know it's okay to have fun even when mom's not here, right?" I asked cautiously, not sure how she'd react.
Her lips pursed. "I know."
I cleared my throat, addressing what had been bothering me for a while. "I can be grumpy?—"
"You're just sad because Mom died," Sofia interrupted.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, hunching my shoulders against the chill in the air. "That's true. But that doesn't mean that we can't feel good about what's going on in our lives. We don't have to be sad all the time. Mom would want you to be happy."
"Mom would want you to be happy too," Sofia said simply.
My throat tightened. "You're right."
That was a hard thing for me to admit, and Sofia was the only one who could get me to say it. I wasn't even sure I believed it yet.
Sofia patted my face, and her touch warmed something inside me. "I can't wait for the dance."
"It will be fun," I said softly. I knew it would be for her. I wasn't so sure about myself. Eve was supposed to be my date.
I had to remind myself she was a partner, not someone I was supposed to be attracted to. Even if I admired everything about her. She was just a stronger person than I was.
CHAPTER 7
EVE
On the day of the dance, I double checked that all the deliveries were on track and the hall was decorated. I hadn't asked Maddox for help because I was avoiding him.
We'd talked about meeting at the dance, but nothing more about our "date." I guess I'd act like we were together to make Frank happy. To show him that Maddox wasn't grumpy all the time. He'd been nice at his house and the dessert tasting.
I hadn't talked to Natasha about him because she was going through something of her own since her high-school ex, Ford started renovating the inn. She said nothing was going on between them, and it didn't bother her that they worked together, but I wasn't so sure about that.
I was too busy managing the party to do much of anything else. There was no chance that I'd have any private moments with Maddox or Sofia. No more opportunities to connect with them. It wasn’t a good idea to get close to them.
He was a man with baggage, and Sofia was going through a lot, more than I could imagine.
At one, I waited outside for Maddox to drop her off. But instead of pulling to the curb, he parked.
I waited for them to approach, my heart stuttering over him holding his daughter's hand.
"We'll take good care of her."
"I'd like to hang out if that's okay. I don't have anything to do today."
Most mothers spent the day with their daughters when they purchased the package. Not many fathers did. But I could see why he thought it was a good idea. So I didn't argue with him. "Absolutely."
I led them to the dress shop next to the inn. I wondered how I was going to keep my distance from them. It was going to be a long day.
Maddox opened the door for us, and we walked inside.
"Sofia's here for her appointment," I called out to Bianca.
She walked out from the dressing rooms. "I'm so excited to find you the perfect dress. Now tell me which princesses are your favorites so I can get an idea of your style."
Bianca followed her around the room, looking at the various dresses as Sofia listed the princesses she loved.
